Home Information Community Academics Student Life Admissions Archives Contact

Curriculum Overview – Grade 4

This is a broad overview of the curriculum that will be taught in the fourth grade at the Franconian International School.

The FIS curriculum has been developed and organized to incorporate components from a variety of concepts and institutions. The FIS Curriculum consists of central elements of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program, The National Curriculum from Great Britain, concepts of curriculum from the United States and the official Bavarian Curriculum for public elementary schools.

We have listed the major topics or themes that will be covered during the year for each subject. This is a guide and it is our goal to teach our curriculum as comprehensively and consistently as possible. In the primary grades, many topics will not be taught in isolation as separate subjects, but will be integrated as meaningful experiences that the children will be able to relate to in their everyday life.

Language Arts

Spoken language

¨ Discussion skills: exploring, explaining, planning, predicting, investigating and sharing ideas, insights, and opinions, asking for clarification or restatement of ideas

¨ Expressive skills: reading aloud, telling and enacting stories, poems and plays/skits

¨ Presentation skills: reporting, describing and presenting, audience awareness (i.e. eye-contact, speaking clearly and with appropriate volume)

Listening skills

¨ Understand and carry out oral directions and requests

¨ Listen attentively to others

Reading

¨ Various texts, genres, novel studies

¨ Reading skills

¨ Improving fluency, accuracy, understanding and enjoyment

¨ Deepen understanding of plot, setting, characters, vocabulary, ideas and use of language

¨ Use of Library and Internet

¨ Researching information

¨ Sustained independent reading

¨ Selecting appropriate materials

Writing

¨ Punctuation and grammar

¨ Planning and drafting processes

¨ Spelling, use of dictionaries

¨ Vocabulary, use of a thesaurus

¨ Develop legible, joined up handwriting

¨ Narrative, expository, persuasive, descriptive, poetic

Mathematics

Numbers and the number system

¨ Place value, ordering and rounding to six digits

¨ Use symbols of inequality

¨ Fractions, decimals, percentages and proportion

¨ Square numbers, exponents, square roots

Calculations

¨ Understanding addition and subtraction

¨ Rapid recall of basic facts

¨ Mental calculation strategies (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division)

¨ Pencil and paper procedures (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division)

¨ Understanding multiplication and division

¨ Calculators: checking results

¨ Estimation

Solving Problems

¨ Making decisions

¨ Problems involving “real life”, money and measures

Handling Data

¨ Organising and interpreting data

¨ Statistical Applications

¨ Construct and Interpret Graphs

Measures, shape and space

¨ Measures: Length, mass and capacity

¨ Time: Digital, analogue, am and pm

¨ 2-D and 3-D shapes

¨ Points, lines, planes and angles

¨ Coordinate geometry

¨ Perimeter, Area, Volume

Probability

¨ Understand and use probability applications

¨ List possible outcomes of an event

Information Technology

¨ Computing (word-processing, data representation, typing skills, software utilisation) – cross curricular

Science

¨ Keeping healthy

¨ Changing State/ Gases

¨ Sound

¨ Sun, Earth, Moon

¨ Life Cycles (plants, animals and humans)

Social Studies

Geography

¨ Local Study: Germany (towns & cities, landforms, natural resources, transportation, people)

¨ Rivers

¨ Weather & Water Cycle

History

¨ Romans

¨ Festivals and Celebrations

¨ Middle Ages

German

German as a first language

¨ Developing of speaking skills: Telling, reporting, describing, explaining, opinions, argumentation

¨ Reading for fluency and for facts

¨ Writing for a variety of purposes and audiences

¨ Features of German spelling

¨ Grammar – Past/Future Tenses

¨ Detailed parts of speech

¨ Traffic education

Stress on reading of German children’s literature and poems

German as a second language

¨ Developing of speaking skills: Naming and describing of objects and activities, understanding instructions and answering questions, giving and getting pieces of information

¨ Vocabulary: Basic knowledge, spelling of words

¨ Reading for information

¨ Grammar: Different types of sentences; comparative, superlative, past/future tenses

¨ Picture stories: Talking about pictures and persons; from guided writing to free writing

¨ Traffic education

Physical Education

¨ Develop good sportsmanship

¨ Improve self-confidence / appreciate and enjoy PE

¨ Individual and Team Games – basketball, athletics, gymnastics, soccer, swimming, volleyball, cycling

Art & Technology

¨ Developing skills in the techniques of drawing, painting, sculpture, weaving, origami, printing, collage, fabric work

¨ Continued work in the use of pattern, texture, colour, line, tone, shape, form

¨ Study of the work of chosen artists

Music / Drama

¨ Songs

¨ Movement / Dance

¨ Rhythm / Dynamics

¨ Percussion instruments

¨ Responding to Music

¨ Music Appreciation

Ethics

¨ Conflicts: Different ways of solving problems and conflicts; making compromises; fair play

¨ Talking to each other: Discussing plans and problems

¨ Helping other people: There are people who need our help; Different ways of helping people

¨ Getting to know different religions